BENGALURU: In 1977, a 22-yearold student of physics cycling in the lush IIT Madras campus with a stack of computer science books was hailed by a professor. “Are you interested in computer science?” asked the middle-aged professor, who was also also on a cycle. When the student concurred, the professor suggested, “There’s a free course on FORTRAN programming happening on campus. Why don’t you take it up? You’ll also get access to the computer science department

His interest piqued, the student signed up for the course and went on to take an MTech in computer science. Four years later, the student, Kris Gopalakrishnan, joined hands with six others and create arguably the most hallowed company in India — Infosys. “(That incident) changed my life,” recalls Gopalakrishnan. “It proved to be a turning point.”

Meet Professor HN Mahabala — the man who not only mentored Gopalakrishnan but also the likes of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and countless other illustrious computer science graduates, many of whom would end up becoming top executives at companies such as Infosys, TCS and IBM. Even as the Indian IT industry is celebrating its 60th year of existence, 82-year-old Mahabala spends his days quietly at his home in the sleepy south Bangalore suburb of Banashankari. “Computers attracted bright, young people.

That is the only reason why computer technology grew, became so powerful and now it is all pervasive,” reminisces Mahabala, between sips of coconut water. “They wouldn’t go home, wouldn’t leave the lab and not take a bath for days! Many of the bright stars — I’ve had the pleasure of asking them to go, take a bath and return,” he adds, with a chuckle. Mahabala’s contribution to India IT goes beyond mentoring pupils, who are doyens themselves.

He was one of the pioneers of computer science education. In the 1960s, computers were like unicorns in India – mythical creatures people had heard of but hardly laid their hands on. IIT Kanpur, which was being mentored by top US universities like Harvard and MIT, had managed to get its hands on an IBM 1620 in 1963. It was around the same time that Mahabala — having completed his higher studies in Canada and got a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan — landed in Kanpur. “The joke is that the computer was flown in and taken by bullock cart to the campus.

Nobody knew about computers at that time — in fact, we had to start awareness programmes for people from education and industry,” says Mahabala. Murthy, who was pursuing a programme in electrical engineering (1967-69), remembers the first time he saw a computer in 1967. “One my first or second day at IIT Kanpur, one of my friends said he would show me the computer. I was very excited,” says Murthy. “Through a glass window, he showed me a machine making a lot of noise and spewing paper. He said, ‘That is a computer.’” Over the next few months, Mahabala, along with professors in electrical engineering, developed what became the first computer science education modules in India.

“Prof Mahabala was always innovative and he would encourage people also to think out of the box,” says Gopalakrishnan. Former TCS CFO S Mahalingam, who is a chartered accountant by qualification and attended a short term course conducted by Mahabala, remembers him as one of the “best teachers I ever had.” After almost a decade in IIT Kanpur, in 1973, Mahabala moved to Chennai (then Madras) where he helmed the computer science department in IIT Madras and is credited with introducing the MTech computer science programme.

Mahabala wasn’t only a pioneer in computers. “He was known for what we call the Mahabala shirt — a collarless garment he wore, even when he met the most influential people,” says a former student. After hanging up his boots at the IITs, Mahabala went onto advise companies which his protégés had founded or served in. “He spent a couple of years at Infosys, especially advising us on education and research programs, he was an advisor to Infosys and later on he moved to teach at IIIT Bangalore,” said Gopalakrishnan. Murthy remembers Mahabala for his conviction in what he taught as much as his wry sense of humour. “He was a wonderful speaker, particularly an after dinner speaker.

As a graduate student, I was asked to be lab instructor for a programming course for IAS officers of Uttar Pradesh.” One of the trainees rudely brushed off Murthy when the former suggested the trainee’s program was erroneous and pointed out a basic mistake. “He said, ‘Prof Mahabala has said computers can arrange marriages and you are saying it does not know how to correct a simple mistake?’” says Murthy, breaking out into laughter at the prank.

As for the cyclist who met the professor who changed his life: in 2014, Kris Gopalakrishnan donated Rs 10 crore to set up a Chair for Computational Brain Research at the same institute where their paths crossed: IIT Madras. It was named after H N Mahabala.

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